Đói thì đầu gối phải bò
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
When in dire need, one must compromise their pride
Literally: When hungry, knees must crawl
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Anh ấy phải nhận việc đó vì đói thì đầu gối phải bò.He had to take that job because when in dire need, one must compromise their pride
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Ca dao Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Đói thì đầu gối phải bò” mean?
When in dire need, one must compromise their pride Literally: When hungry, knees must crawl
Is “Đói thì đầu gối phải bò” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.